My semester of homesteading adventures

An Introduction to Homesteading

Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate enough to meet several happy homesteaders. Some, on a large scale, with the ultimate goal of total self-sufficiency. Others, experiment on a smaller scale with pickling, home gardens and canning. Regardless of your level of homesteading intensity, I am convinced it has several benefits.

First, the amount you save from a DIY lifestyle is remarkable. Although initial costs may seem high, over time, you definitely end up with a nice pile of savings. Besides its cost effectiveness, homesteading allows you to be creative in reusing materials and recycling the things you’ve acquired. My friends have started referring to me as the “bottle lady” because while they see empty glass bottles as things to put in their recycling bin, I see them as potential Kombucha vessels.

Best of all, homesteading is a possibility almost anywhere! It’s not necessary to have acres of backyard space, you can increase your self-sufficiency in the largest of cities. Most of my future experiments will likely take place in my dorm room.

Whatever your future homesteading entails, I hope my trials and tribulations both guide you in the right direction and allow you to avoid any mistakes I make (I’m sure there will be a few).